TEHRAN -- Iranian Space Research Center (ISRC) designs and manufactures sensors, spacecraft energy storage system and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for Iranian satellites, which are under construction, ISNA reported on Monday.

Three separate groups are working on sensors, SAR and energy storage system, the head of mechanics research center of ISRC announced.

Earth horizon sensor, star tracker, magnetic sensor, sun sensor are used in the satellites, he explained.

In January 2019, Iran launched homegrown Payam satellite, however, the satellite's carrier rocket could not reach the "necessary speed" and so neither reach the orbit, the information and communication technology (ICT) minister told the state TV.

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi said that the satellite successfully passed the first and second stages of the launch, but could not reach the "necessary speed" in the third stage.

Payam, a 90kg non-military satellite, was planned to be sent into a 500km orbit using domestically-made Safir satellite-carrier rocket.

Manufactured by the Amirkabir University of Technology, the image resolution of the Payam satellite is 45 meters and can stay in orbit for three years.

Later Azari Jahromi announced that Iran has spent 1.2 million euros for manufacturing Payam satellite over a period of ten years saying that the budget is not an expenditure but an investment, just like e-government, the remote sensing satellite will improve usage of water resources and methods of agriculture.

SB/MQ/MG